Struggling to start trimmer

Isabelle_BJuly 16, 2013

I am having trouble getting our gas trimmer started. Troy-Bilt is the brand. We were given the trimmer at the start of the summer and it started just fine. Now it comes close to starting but does not start.

It has gas and oil (4 stroke). I thought I might be doing something wrong so this afternoon I looked at the manual and made sure I followed the instructions exactly. I primed it 10x, put the choke on and pulled 5 times, then put it on half choked and pulled 5x. Since it did not start, I repeated, and repeated, and repeated until my arm ached.

Sometimes it will start very very briefly (half a second or so), so it isn't totally dead, but for whatever reason it doesn't stay running. Am I flooding it? I let it sit for a while and tried, and it still wouldn't start.

I am not technically minded, but I do not have a lot of spare cash for repairs, so I would very much appreciate any ideas about what I might try to get it going.

I would suspect that you are not getting all of the bubbles out of the gas lines. Don't worry about the 10 strokes, prime until there are no bubbles showing in the lines to and from the carburetor. Any bubbles in the lines restrict the fuel flow.

I have primed after the motor has started, and I see a bubble. You can hear the change in engine speed as the bubbles are cleared from the lines.

I find that I get the best prime by not just pushing the priming bulb, but push it IN fast, and then take your finger off of the bulb and let it expand slowly.

If it does not start with in about three cycles, stop and wait a while as you do not want to flood the engine.

I would advise the OP to ensure that Ethanol fuel has not fouled the carb. If the unit has not been properly drained or treated since the beginning of summer than even Non Ethanol sour fuel would certainly be a factor to consider . It does not take much varnish or debris to restrict the Main and Primer fuel circuits within Troy-bilt carbs.